Blackout
by IntoTheWilds
Summary: ONE-SHOT: A prompt for SpencerRemyLvr: Spencer is something he hates, the team finds out and everything changes...


**_DISCLAIMER:_****_ I do not own Criminal Minds/X-Men or their characters!_**

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE:_****_ A prompt for SpencerRemyLvr, enjoy my sweet, hope you like! :D It also left quite a few questions open, sooooo if anyone wants to see a sequel, let me know x Oh and come find me at _****Intothewilds Fanfiction (Emza) ****_on Facebook :)_**

**_IntoTheWilds_**

**_xxxx_**

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><p><strong><em>Las Vegas, Nevada 1993:<em>**

Groaning, the sound of his alarm clock a vicious screech in his ear, Spencer wriggled free from his overly large comforter and bleary eyed slapped his clock into silence. Lengthy brunette coils blocked a lot of his vision, but he could see enough to know he hadn't slept through and it wasn't the seventh or eighth snooze alarm this time. Glad for that the twelve year old boy kicked back his covers and stumbled from bed, biting back a curse when like nearly every other morning he tripped across one of his books. Toe throbbing, the youth slipped from his bedroom and across the hall to the bathroom. He had yet to hear his mother moving around and he was tremendously glad for that. It gave him a chance to get ready for school.

Stripping down, Spencer winced when the bruising on his torso protested. Swallowing he looked down and couldn't help but flinch. It was a lot worse than he thought it was going to be. Swallowing again he tried NOT to think about the pitch, the goalposts or the gleeful faces of the football team, because if he did, he doubted he could find the courage to go to school.

Ignoring the pain in his ribs, the twelve year old climbed into the shower and moaned in relief once the hot water hit him. The heat loosened some of his achy muscles and washed away the last dregs of sleep. He washed his lengthy hair, the cinnamon scent rising up to wrap around the steam and cleaned himself, doing his best not to flinch with every awkward movement. Climbing from the cubicle, shutting the water off, he wrapped a towel about his slim waist and padded toward the sink and looked into the mirror seeing a face that had changed all that much. The same sharp features, same curly brunette hair, lily white skin and sadly the same irises that were a solid inky black. His eyes had gotten him into an awful lot of trouble over the years. At first people figured they were just a deep brown, but then they got a closer look. He had been called a demon, monster, freak and as of recently a mutant. Apart from his eyes, there was nothing to confirm such a fact, but Spencer was no fool. His eyes, though a minor mutation, were an obvious enough sign and once his powers came in, his life would either get better or worse.

"Spencer, baby?"

Spencer stiffened and glanced toward the door, "I'll be out in a minute mom."

"Get a move on, you can't be late for school."

By the sounds of it, his mother was having a good day. Thank goodness for small miracles, because he doubted he could handle a bad day. Once he got through school, he'd handle everything else. He just needed to worry about himself for today. Spencer was no idiot. He knew the football team were far from finished with him. And wasn't that just peachy?

By the time he got downstairs his mother had successfully made breakfast and had a fresh pot of coffee on the table, so a really, _REALLY_ good day. Smiling pleasantly Spencer set his book bag down and sat down pulling a plate towards him. Passing by him to the fridge Diana bent and pressed a kiss to his temple, "Morning baby."

"Morning mom, sleep okay?"

Diana chuckled in amusement, "I'm the mom shouldn't I be asking that?"

Oh how he wished that was the case every day, "I slept great mom."

Smiling Diana kissed his cheek and humming a tune Spencer was familiar with, she pottered about the kitchen until it was time to see her son off to school. God, how he longed for every day to be just like today, but hope and wishing on stars was a fools game. It passed the time and yet gained nothing in the end. Pulling on his coat, Spencer kissed Diana's cheek, hugged her goodbye and headed out. The walk to school was a quiet one and because he had left earlier then he usually did, he didn't come across anyone he didn't want to see. Teachers were arriving when he got to his high school. The odd student had also arrived and by the look on Principal O'Hare's face, she had heard about the day previous. Maybe he could go through the day without—

"Mr Reid."

_Crap!_ "Yes ma'am?"

"Could I have a word?"

Spencer swallowed, "Yes, ma'am."

Reluctantly Spencer followed O'Hare inside, the black haired woman's heels clanking nosily against the tiled floor. Out of the corner of his eye he copped the football team captain just arriving and by his expression Spencer was in trouble. No doubt he believed Spencer was after ratting them out. Yes, because he was suicidal wasn't he? Through the halls Spencer followed her and into her office at the north side of the building. Closing the door with a light snap, O'Hare gestured toward her two visitor's chairs.

"Have a seat Mr Reid."

Aw man did he want to bolt. Trembling a little the twelve year old took a seat and placed his bag at his feet. At first O'Hare said nothing, but eventually fixing him with her gun metal grey eyes, her gaze steely, she spoke gently.

"It has come to my attention by the janitor; there was an incident on the football field yesterday. You were tied to the goalposts and he untied you late yesterday evening." O'Hare linked her hands. "I want names Mr Reid and do not pull your usual and refuse to tell me."

"I'm not giving names ma'am," Spencer responded shocking even himself by the bluntness of his tone, "I have only three months left, then I'll never seen any of them again. I don't care what they do and I'm not filing a report."

"You're refusing help?"

"I'm saving my own skin," he told her honestly, "no offence ma'am, but you cannot protect me as well as you may think you can and I'm not risking any further damage to my person. I stay out of their way and they'll stay out of mine."

O'Hare huffed exasperated, "I can't help you Mr Reid if you refuse to help yourself."

"I can live with that."

Irked by his lack of cooperation O'Hare dismissed the youth. Grabbing his book bag Spencer happily bolted and headed to homeroom. Typically people were talking about him, but the genius couldn't find it in him to care. He just hoped nothing came of his conversation with O'Hare. He didn't need to be known as a snitch on top of everything else.

The day passed by at a glacier's pace, but Spencer didn't mind that. He liked to study, he was happy with the work load no matter how the day seemed to drag and with each passing minute, he was beginning to think the most he'd suffer was the usual whispers.

Of course the cosmos just had to prove him wrong.

It was his lunch period, which unfortunately he shared with most of the athletic types. Honestly, he was convinced that had been done on purpose! Most days he wouldn't venture near the cafeteria, but since he had somehow misplaced his lunch, it was that or nothing until he got home and nothing ruined your concentration more than an empty stomach. Spencer figured he'd be safe enough. Teachers frequented the cafeteria every lunch period, just to keep an eye and make sure such nefarious things didn't go on, but of course today just had to be different. Spencer was well into the line up for food when he realised there were no teachers and his heart began to race. It was no big deal, he kept telling himself. He would just get his lunch and get out of—

"Reid."

Well shit. Twisting around Spencer swallowed and his gaze lifted to the captain's face. Jason Thorn sneered darkly down at him, "Y-Yes Jason?" The whole place had fallen deathly silent and Spencer realised how much trouble he was in.

Jason sauntered toward the lunch line, dark brown eyes full of malice and Spencer squawked when Jason's best friend Tori suddenly yanked his tray from his hand. The lunch ladies stood frozen, everyone waited with held breath.

"You went to O'Hare."

"N-No, I didn't Jason. S-She wanted to talk to me...I-I didn't tell her—Ahhh!" Spencer scrunched his eyes closed and instinctively clawed at the hand fisted in his thick curls. "L-Let go of me, Jason _please_!"

"You sold us out!"

"I didn't, I s-swear!"

It was just like the field. No one was willing to help him and the more he pleaded, tears streaming down his face, the more they laughed. Jason shook him violently and that's when Spencer felt it, like a tingle beneath his skin. The tingle grew to mass proportions, becoming a fierce dance of pins and needles beneath his skin and whimpering Spencer struggled. Something was very wrong. Very, very wrong! Jason continued to shout obscenities, demanding to know what Spencer had told O'Hare. Speak of the devil; Spencer could hear O'Hare's frantic shouts over the dull roar in his ears and suddenly the outside world whitened out, pain exploded from him and with it a burst of bright light in all different colours burst from his body sending anyone near flying. Glass shattered, people screamed and landing in a heavy heap it took Spencer several seconds to regain himself and sitting up he yelped and scrambled backward. Jason knelt howling in agony, the whole left side of his face badly burnt, Alexa was screaming from the other side of the room and everyone else was gaping at him absolutely terrified. _His eyes_, he kept hearing. Swallowing, aching a little, Spencer turned to face a mirror on the wall and his world completely changed. The black of his irises were now riddled with a mini firework display, different colours filled his eyes and the young boy let out a broken sob.

His powers had manifested.

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><p><strong><em>Quantico, Virginia Present Day:<em>**

The morning report wafted from the small clock radio while thirty-two year old Spencer Reid moved about his apartment. His black cat—who Garcia had insisted on getting him three years previous—Cortez followed him all over while Spencer drank his third cup of coffee and got ready for work. He was tired, drained from getting off a case just the day before and hoped it would be at least a couple of days before the next one.

_'...Riots continue over the upcoming vote on mutant registration. At a recent rally, the injury list came to eighteen when a notorious mutant known as Pyro attacked—'_

Spencer scowled at the TV in disgust before tossing the remote onto the coffee table after shutting it off. The registration vote was a long time in process. It was happening and not happening so often it was hard to keep up, now the vote would be done next month and if mutants lost the world would become very bleak indeed. With a heavy sigh Spencer headed toward the bathroom and stopped before the mirror. He couldn't help but flinch like he always did when familiar firework irises looked back at him, splotches of bursting colour exploding on a layer of ebony black. Swallowing Spencer reached for the mud brown contacts and hid away something he had truly come to hate.

The walk to the metro was uneventful, as was the train ride toward his work place. Spencer noticed the odd mutant registration sign and worse still mutants and non-mutants protesting as the time to voting drew nearer. Rolling his eyes at their antics the Agent continued on route, into the federal building and was just stepping into the bullpen when JJ appeared at his side.

"Hey Spence, sleep well?"

"Better than I thought," he lied easily, "You?"

"Same as you," JJ told him cheerfully.

They continued with the mundane conversation throughout making coffee and back to Spencer's desk where the genius settled down into his paperwork. Truth be told Spencer had no idea why everything seemed to irk him. Even JJ's bubbly morning person nature was getting to him and deep down he knew it was more to do with all the mutant hype. Deep down Spencer Reid was terrified because he had never told his team about his mutation. At first it had been about self preservation, after it was more to do with shame, even though his friends had given him no reason to think such things. They had rescued enough mutant victims over the years for Spencer to know their opinions and not once had any of them showed a hatred for them...so why did he still hide? Because it kept him safe...or at least that's what he kept telling himself. When a hand was suddenly waved in front of his face Spencer jumped a mile out of his skin, "Earth to pretty boy!"

"What, oh, hey Morgan, what's up?"

"We got a case kid, JJ asked me to get you." Morgan frowned. "You okay Reid?"

"Perfectly fine," Spencer responded standing up and following Morgan to the round table room.

"Alright my crime fighters," Penelope began the second everyone was seated, "We're sending you to New York where there has been killings involving the mutant community."

Pushing buttons the screen lit up and three victims appeared on screen and Spencer went rigid. He didn't recognise the bodies, but he recognised the claw marks...Sabretooth! Why on earth was that brute killing teenage mutants in New York, unless...?

"Where were they from?"

Garcia looked at Spencer mildly confused by his sudden pale pallor and reached for a file, "eh, they were all students at the Xavier institute, a suspected, but never confirmed, school for mutants."

"They're bait," Spencer stated. His affiliation with the infamous X-Men was brief. He didn't have a particularly good history with them either, but he knew enough to know when Sabretooth was involved and when he was trying to catch Wolverine's attention.

"How do you know that?" Morgan asked with a deep frown.

Naturally, Spencer lied his ass off. They didn't need to know how he knew them. It didn't, in any way, pertain to the current case. "I consult quite a bit outside the bureau and I've crossed paths on occasion with the X-Men. Those claw marks were made by a mutant named Sabretooth. He's baiting the X-Man Wolverine." He was also asking for serious trouble killing students of the Xavier institute. The bureau knew of the X-Men, they didn't, however, know they were linked to the institute and Spencer wouldn't be supplying the information. He may not like them, but neither would he cause them trouble.

"Would you be able to get us inside the institute?" Hotch questioned. "According to the NYPD, Professor Xavier is reluctant to cooperate."

Spencer just about hid his flinch, "I can make a call, yes."

"Get it done, wheels up in twenty."

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><p>...\

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><p>Spencer wondered if it was dramatic of him that he wanted to peel his skin off layer by layer rather than set foot within the walls of the Xavier institute. He would never forget the day he had been brought before the great Charles Xavier. The day his powers had manifested had opened a can of worms that had exploded forth and dismantled his life. He had been removed from his mother's care and had become a ward of the state. Foster homes were galore and the longer he kept having incidents involving his powers, the more he was shifted around until no one wanted him. He didn't know how Xavier found out about him, or any of his students, but he did and at the man's request, his foster parents at that time brought the fourteen year old to the man and he spent the next four years at the institute hating every moment. Oh, he went to Caltech as planned, but Xavier had been his legal guardian and Spencer had developed a seething hatred for the man. Xavier had never done anything to hurt him of course; it was just the man's way of—well—dealing with the mutant slash human coexistence situation. Training his students to fight in a war that had yet to actually happen? Sending teenagers on missions when the only worry a teen should have is school and a roof over their head? It was madness! Spencer's powers unfortunately were of good use to Xavier and he ended up on more missions than he cared to admit. Begrudgingly he owed the man thanks for teaching him how to control his powers, but it didn't change the fact he left the institute on bad terms.<p>

Xavier that fool, Spencer had had every right to feel used.

Feeling the SUV slow down, Spencer pulled out of his daydream and flinched. The Xavier mansion loomed over head and Spencer wished he was anywhere else but there. Reluctantly he climbed from the vehicle and joined the others. He was steeling himself to get it over with when a sensation tingled across his senses making him go stiff. Something wasn't right. Morgan grunted when something grabbed him suddenly and frowned at Spencer.

"What's wrong?"

"Something's not right," Spencer croaked. A gasp escaped him when he felt a familiar mutant signature. "Magneto..."

"Blackout, it certainly has been a while."

Spencer spun around, his old codename one he hadn't heard since he had been eighteen years old. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and he was sure his heart had stopped because they were in trouble. Magneto stood flanked by Sabretooth, Mystique, Pyro, Blob, Toad and Scarlet Witch. So Sabretooth wasn't working alone? What was Magneto up to? He never bothered attacking Xavier directly like this!

"It has Magneto," Spencer responded evenly though he was utterly terrified. He needed to alert them inside! "Why did you come here? I know Xavier and you don't exactly see eye to eye, but does it need you storming his home?"

Magneto chuckled darkly, "and you truly care Blackout? As I recall, aged eighteen, you told Charles exactly what a self righteous fool you thought he was. Nice to know I'm not the only one who thinks so."

"I don't agree with either one of your views." Spencer snapped tetchily. "Both of you only wish to use mutants as a means to an end. You speak of mutants wiping out humans, while Xavier talks of both sides coexisting. Either way you use mutants as you see fit and disregard the system. Xavier doesn't get to make comments when he plays vigilante on a regular basis."

Morgan, JJ, Emily, Rossi and Hotch watched the whole thing thoroughly confused. Just how mixed up with these people had Spencer gotten and just how well did he know this Xavier? And what the hell was with the name _'Blackout?'_ Copping their expressions of confusion Magneto threw his head back and laughed.

"You never told them?"

"I never saw the need to."

"Yes well, that's about to change."

And let the anarchy commence. With a bellow Blob tore toward him and years of X-Men training ingrained him, Spencer lurched away from the attack, but not fast enough. He was a little rusty, so the strike to the face wasn't at all surprising. With Blob's strength he was flung several feet, landing harshly far from his team and not for the first time he wondered where the hell Xavier and his team were. They knew they were coming! He heard the other's calling his name, his face throbbing and rubbing at his face the boy groaned and plucked what remained of his damaged contacts from his eyes. Damn. That was the last thing he needed. Hearing the thundering steps and loud bellow of Blob, Spencer dodged his second attack successfully and looked back at his friends with pleading firework flashing eyes.

"I'm sorry."

Turning to face the once again charging Blob Spencer raised his right hand and with a burst a bright beam of coloured light exploded from his fist and struck Blob dead on. The mutant screamed thoroughly enraged and stumbled back. While he was distracted Spencer manipulated the beams of light cast over the grounds and from it emerged a pack of wolves, yellow and bright, growling and angry. Blob backed off knowing from past experience the bastards would burn him if they got too close. Spencer was nothing short of pissed, his eyes sparking with temper, lip bloodied and face bruised. Clenching his fists coloured light sparked about his knuckles and his expression was a daring one. Morgan and the rest were positively stunned. Not once had they ever suspected Spencer would hide such a thing. A mutant, the kid was a _mutant?!_ Looking to the left Morgan's shock was suddenly forgotten and with a sharp curse he shouted, "Kid, on your left!"

Spencer's head jerked around and he grunted when Sabretooth collided with him snarling viciously. The mammoth blonde sank his razor sharp teeth into Spencer's shoulder making the young doctor howl in agony, which was only added to when his body hit the ground with a solid thump. Hurt, pissed, Spencer geared up to land the spitting feline on his ass when he was suddenly ripped away from the brunette and sent flying several feet. Spencer had a brief glimpse of the infamous Wolverine before the feral was advancing toward Sabretooth.

"Why don't ya pick on someone your own size Creed?" Logan snarled sapphire blue eyes flashing with temper.

Scrambling to his feet, ribs aching, Spencer caught sight of not only Logan, but Scott, Jean, Kurt, Ororo, Xavier, Remy, Rogue and Bobby. Many other faces peeked out from the windows gawking at the display and on shaky legs Spencer moved away from Magneto's people. Blood poured from his shoulder, not that Spencer paid much heed, not once he caught sight of his stunned teammates. Or mostly stunned, Morgan looked positively furious and while the X-Men dealt with Magneto and his acolyte thugs Spencer turned and limped back towards the SUV. He didn't get far when a hand snatched forward and spun him around.

"How could you keep this from us?" Morgan snarled testily, brown eyes bright with temper.

Spencer couldn't help it, he snorted, "have you seen the media recently Morgan? Have you ever spoken to a mutant who has been a victim of ridicule and abuse? I wasn't willing to risk my happy, near normal life for this curse I can't get rid of!"

"You still believe yourself cursed?"

Closing his eyes briefly, Spencer turned to face Magneto and seethed at his smug expression. The two teams had apparently come to an impasse, "I don't recall it being any of your business Magneto."

Magneto sneered and gestured for his team to back off, "and what if I told you the real reason I'm here is to recruit you?"

Spencer rolled his eyes not believing a word of it, "I hardly think you had Sabretooth kill innocent mutants just to get my attention."

"Contrary to my usual nastiness light bulb, I had nothing to do with those kiddies dying," Growled Creed, "A bastard I may be, but even I have my limits."

Logan scowled, because Creed's scent gave away no lie. "Then why are you here?" The feral asked carefully.

"For a similar reason," Magneto stated simply, "I had an attack from your side. Nightcrawler and Rogue slipped past my security." Both Nightcrawler and Rogue let out explanatives that Magneto abruptly cut off. "I'm fully aware it wasn't you. When we attempted to stop you both, there was something off. Your eyes were black, empty and you didn't say a word. Merely destroyed what you could and vanished."

"We thought at first Sinister had something to do with it," Mystique added, "but that avenue brought up a dead end."

By now the BAU were listening in. Morgan swallowed heavily and realised they needed to put their shit to one side and deal. After all, there was still a killer on the loose. Turning to face Spencer he jerked back...Spencer was gone!


End file.
